Page 62 of Redeeming Harmony

He grinned. “Wait until you get to be my age.”

She snorted, Christ, even that was adorable to him now, and said, “Yes, because mid-thirties is so old.”

“Older than mid-twenties,” he said.

She scoffed and then said something that shocked the hell out of Nathan. “I wanted to speak with you because I have the perfect plan to help you save the clinic.”

* * *

Nathan’s facewas a mixture of shock and curiosity and maybe a touch of embarrassment.

Shit, Harper hadn’t wanted to embarrass him, but it wasn’t like it was a secret that the clinic was in trouble. It was the talk of the entire town.

“Save the clinic,” he repeated slowly.

“Yes,” she said. “I know since the whole King dying thing that clients have been leaving the clinic and that the town has been -”

She stopped abruptly, and Nathan laughed wearily. “Calling me a horse murderer?”

“Yes.” She hated to be so blunt, but if she wanted to help save her father’s former clinic, this wasn’t the time for niceness. “There are a lot of people in this town who think you murdered King.”

“That’s so fucked up,” he said.

“It sure is, but sometimes Harmony Falls folk aren’t exactly rational. Their beloved Christmas parade horse is dead, and you add in a hysterical, sobbing Tammy telling everyone that she knows in her heart it wasn’t King’s time, and it’s a recipe for disaster.”

“I would think this was fucking hilarious if it wasn’t my clinic in danger,” he said, then gave her a cautious look. “Sorry, I’m not trying to upset you.”

“You aren’t,” she said. “It is your clinic now.”

“So, why do you want to help me?” he said. “I’d think you’d be happier if the clinic failed.”

She immediately called him on his bullshit. “You know that isn’t true. But I’ll let it go because horse murderer and Dr. Death are bad enough nicknames. You don’t need petty dick added to the list.”

That made him laugh despite his worry, and she grinned at him. “Look, I know it’s your clinic now, but it used to be my dad’s, and he worked hard to get this clinic to where it is today. I want to make sure it continues to do well with you.”

“For your dad,” he said.

“Yes,” she said. “But also, for you. Because I know you love what you do, and you want to help the town and because you’re a damn good vet. Also, I think we could be friends if you stop sticking your head up your own ass so much.”

“I’ll do my best to keep the head up my own ass to a minimum,” he said. “Tell me your plan.”

She rubbed her hands together, excitement brewing in her belly. “Back in the day, my dad used to do a free vaccine clinic once a year for low-income Falls families. It was very popular, and not only did it make him look good to the townsfolk, but it provided a necessary service to families who needed help. It eventually got to be too much for him because of his neck pain and just the sheer coordination of it, but I think it would go a long way toward repairing your reputation with the town if you do a free vaccine clinic.”

He didn’t say anything, and, trepidation creeping up her spine, she said, “I won’t sugar coat it. It’s a lot of work. But I can help coordinate, and so will Rayna. I know my dad would be happy to help that day, as would Hal, Allie, and Laila. I’ve already talked to the Community Center. They have a cancellation for their gym space for Sunday. I know that only gives us six days, but they’re otherwise booked solid until after Christmas, so I went ahead and booked it.”

“Okay, let’s do it,” he said.

Feeling increasingly desperate, she barely heard him. “Look, I know it’s insane to try to organize this in such a short time period, but I truly think we can do it. Rayna has volunteers who will help, and I can rope Addie, Gracie, and Kira into helping. Oh, and Dad said he has a supplier who owes him a favour, and he could get the extra vaccines we need by Friday. We can run the clinic from eight until four and trust me, we’ll have plenty of people from the Falls and surrounding counties coming in to get their pets vaccinated.”

“Okay,” he said.

“This is the key to turning the town around, and… wait, did you say okay?”

“Twice now,” he said with a grin.

Without thinking about it, she let out a squeal of excitement and threw her arms around him, hugging him hard. He returned her hug, and she leaned back in the circle of his arms, smiling hugely at him. “This will work, Nathan. I promise.”

“Thank you for helping me, Harper.” His voice was sincere, and she could see the gratitude on his face.

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